Vocal scar is one of the most common causes of poor voice and airway function. It presents a real challenge for physicians. Current treatment options include topical or intralesional injections, surgical resection or grafting, and other managements. But these procedures usually are invasive or have no selectivity to the target and frequently yield disappointing results. Thus new approach is highly desirable. Immunoconjugate-guided laser treatment is a minimally-invasive management that has been used successfully for skin scars and other applications in the clinic to seek improvement in treatment efficacy and safety. Unfortunately, there is little wor done to explore its utility for management of scaring in vocal folds. In this study, our hypothesis is that a 810 nm pulsed diode laser, guided by a conjugate of antibody and ICG, would be effective and safe for early management of the vocal scar in a rat model. To our best of knowledge, this will be the first study to do so. To validate this hypothesis, we will have two specific aims: (1) to optimize our treatment parameters in scar on skin;and then (2) to determine the treatment effectiveness and safety directly in the vocal scar by objective assessments of histology and vocal functions. We expect this new treatment, if successful in this study, will provide a promising management for this problem, and it would be safe and convenient as an office-based procedure.

Public Health Relevance

Vocal fold scar is one of the most common causes of poor vocal and airway function. Current treatments are unsatisfactory. This study will determine whether a new guided laser technique could be a promising treatment for management of this problem.